Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Banks as Pioneer Investors in Pay for Success Financing

Author(s): Steven Godeke, Godeke Consulting

Pay for Success (PFS) financing, sometimes known as social impact bonds (SIBs) or social innovation financing, has attracted much attention because it offers the promise of governments paying only for successful programs while increasing funding for prevention programs by accessing capital markets. To understand the emerging PFS investment landscape and determine the structures and investors that are most likely to attract incremental capital, we spoke with more than ninety investors and other stakeholders as part of an eight-month research project. Our aim was to highlight distinct investor concerns, preferences, and insights that inform the systems, structures, and sequence critical to building a healthy and sustainable market for PFS financing. During our research, Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) financial institutions emerged as potential early investors in this new market. While philanthropy is expected to fund early PFS financings, CRA capital could prove to be the best bridge to other commercial investors. This article addresses how PFS financing can fit into CRA portfolios and outline some of the opportunities and challenges of executing PFS arrangements within CRA-regulated financial institutions.